Man, this album is kinda insane. I feel like my appreciation for it will only continue to grow with time, but even after the initial listen, I feel confident in calling this a near immaculate musical project. Ornate, ambitious, and masterfully performed!

FAVORITES:
> Cosmia
> Emily
> Only Skin
> Sawdust & Diamonds
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Monkey & Bear (still a good song tho)

More upward progression for Vince! This album has some of my personal favorite songs of his.

FAVORITES:
> Feels Like Summer
> FUN!
> Tweakin’
> Outside!
> Don’t Get Chipped
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Brand New Tyga

I have a few thoughts on this album. On the one hand, the instrumentation and arrangement is consistently colorful, and there are a number of lines on the record that I love a lot - plus the cover art is pretty neat! On the other, I feel its reach exceeds its grasp a lot of the time. Oberst is a clever enough lyricist, but seems to frequently lose himself in the erudite trappings of the songs, and the references to mysticism and spirituality regularly come across as vague and ill-formed. All in ... read more

Gotta have at least one of the top twenty five title tracks of all time.

FAVORITES:
> Little Dark Age
> She Works Out Too Much
> When You Die
> When You’re Small
> Me and Michael
> Hand It Over
> James
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Days That Got Away

Yeesh. Okay. Oldham’s songwriting really takes a dive here in my opinion, his lyricism was always esoteric but on this album it seems completely frayed. Instrumentals are still well-performed but not as interesting as the arrangements on Beware or Lie Down in the Light.

FAVORITES:
> No Match
> Quail and Dumplings
LEAST FAVORITE:
> New Whaling

Someone get this man on a horror movie soundtrack, stat!

FAVORITES:
> Mud
> Sunder
> Faith Made of Silk
> Hello, Chain
> Rubble
> Agosto
> Cenizas
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Menysid

Vince continues his upward climb in artistic assurance with a fantastically produced album with hyper pop inspired beats.

FAVORITES:
> Crabs in a Bucket
> Big Fish
> Yeah Right
> Party People
> Rain Come Down
> 745
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Alyssa Interlude

A lot more country infusion to this album than in some of Oldham’s previous work, but the songwriting is no less on point!

FAVORITES:
> Beware Your Only Friend
> I Am Goodbye
> You Can’t Hurt Me Now
> Death Final
> You Don’t Love Me
> I Won’t Ask Again
> You Are Lost
LEAST FAVORITE:
> My Life’s Work

Chock full of lush instrumentation and deliciously verbose lyrics. Newsom’s vocal inflections do take a little getting used to, but once you’re on board they’re really endearing and entertaining!

FAVORITES:
> Peach, Plum, Pear
> “En Gallop”
> This Side of the Blue
> Sadie
> Sprout and the Bean
> Bridges and Balloons
> Inflammatory Writ
> Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie
> Swansea
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Three Little Babes

It’s moody, all right.

FAVORITES:
> The Afternoon
> The Night
> Lunch Break: Peak Hour
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Dawn: Dawn Is a Feeling

Good lord, this was smooth. French electronic pop never disappoints.

FAVORITES:
> Ce matin-là
> All I Need
> La femme d’argent
> New Star in the Sky
> Kelly Watch the Stars
> You Make It Easy
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Sexy Boy

Excellent beats and flow on this project, Vince really honing his skills!

FAVORITES:
> Prima Donna
> War Ready
> Smile
> Big Time
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Let It Shine

Essentially the happier cousin of “I See a Darkness” in terms of it being pretty damn consistent and endlessly listenable - not as varied as his debut, but nonetheless one of Oldham’s best.

FAVORITES:
> Easy Does It
> For Every Field There’s a Mole
> So Everyone
> You Want That Picture
> Lie Down in the Light
> What’s Missing Is
> Missing One
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Willow Trees Bend

Excellent string work on this project, makes the whole package a lot more ethereal than some of Oldham’s other albums.

FAVORITES:
> I Called You Back
> Wai
> Big Friday
> Lay and Love
> Cursed Sleep
> Love Comes to Me
> Strange Form of Life
LEAST FAVORITE:
> No Bad News

A commendable effort with a lot of creative percussion, but ultimately the delivery is a little too haphazard to justify the album’s length in my opinion.

FAVORITES:
> Norf Norf
> Summertime
> 3230
> Jump Off the Roof
> Surf
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Ramona Park Legend, Pt. 2

Gentler and more consistent than its predecessor, but it gets a tad formulaic after a while.

FAVORITES:
> Wolf Among Wolves
> Even If Love
> Ain’t You Wealthy, Ain’t You Wise?
> The Way
> Maundering
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Master and Everyone

Gentler and more accessible than I See a Darkness, but still keeps Oldham’s rich, engaging effect.

FAVORITES:
> Careless Love
> A King at Night
> At Break of Day
> May It Always Be
> Ease Down the Road
LEAST FAVORITE:
> After I Made Love to You

Just the warm and savory helping of gloomy doom folk rock troubadour soup I was craving.

FAVORITES:
> I See a Darkness
> Nomadic Revery (All Around)
> Today I Was an Evil One
> A Minor Place
> Raining in Darling
> Black
> Death to Everyone
> Another Day Full of Dread
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Knockturne

Some of the catchiest songs of the year are here.

FAVORITES:
> Remember Where You Are
> Spotlight
> Soul Control
> What’s Your Pleasure?
> Ooh La La
> The Kill
> Step Into My Life
> Mirage (Don’t Stop)
LEAST FAVORITE:
> Read My Lips

Ngl, if someone made something like this about me I’d fucking retire, my pride ain’t that strong.